A Simply Enchanted Life

I came across this giveaway and just HAD to share it.
Created by Laurie is giving awayTWO prizes-
1 Gift Certificate for $75, and another
Gift Certificate for $35!
Created By Laurie: Shop Reopening Giveaway! - Created By Laurie
What would you choose if you won? I think I would get this! Honestly, it would be really hard to choose though! She has such a unique collection that I'm having a hard time pulling myself away from her shop!

Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes" is the first book that I have read by Denise Grover Swank. It is not the kind of book that I typically would pick up and read and I absolutely cringed when I realized it was written in first person perspective. However, I decided to stick it out and give it a chance because I absolutely adore the person who referred the book to me! I have to say…I think this is the only book I’ve ever read in first person perspective that I got through without throwing it up against the wall in utter frustration.

The voice of this book is a girl named Rose. A spunky southern girl who is a bit naive, okay, a lot naive and a little bit crazy…at least to her neighbors and her mother. Rose’s mother is convinced her daughter is demon possessed. Why? Because, Rose isn’t like everyone else…she has visions about the future. Nothing hugely prophetic, usually the visions are useless information that Rose can’t help but blurt out such as someone locking their keys in their car or some other random slice of life.

When Rose has a vision about dying, she decides that she is going to live her life out in a short amount of time. Whether her momma approves it or not! Unfortunately, her poor momma doesn’t have much time to worry about her new found nerve. Momma takes Rose’s place in her vision and the town suspects that Rose is the one who murdered her! Desperate to live her life before a new vision proves true for her (or before she goes to jail) Rose sets out to accomplish a list of twenty-eight wishes. Her wishes range from opportunities that she miss out on as a child, such as, “dress like a princess” to “find a boyfriend”.

On this journey of self-discovery we get to know Rose’s sister, Violet, and a hunky neighbor named Joe who seems to be the answer to several wish-list criteria to the tune of “find a boyfriend”. Something is suspicious about Joe and honestly, there were times I wanted to scream “RUUUUUUNN! And other times I desperately wanted him to be better than he appeared. I suppose an easy-peasy romance would be a very boring read so of course there had to be drama! And drama there was!!!

I enjoyed this book, so…. I’m not going to spill all the details; you’ll just have to read it for yourself. I did have just a few complaints… Since my own sister uses the term “crappy doodles” I could overlook it...the first few times. I felt it was overused in some places since Rose was “growing up” I thought maybe she would finally choose a new expletive word at some point. And then my second complaint…now I’m not too stuffy when it comes to curse words in books but I felt the f bomb was a little harsh for such a fun loving light read (well, if you can consider murder fun-loving--which I did for this story). I understand they were used by persons who would be more likely to use them but it still felt a little…forced.

Overall, the story was well written and I think the author is one of the rare people who can actually write in first person perspective and do it well. The characters had an interesting voice on paper and a personality that kept me turning the pages to find out more!

About the Author:
Denise is a single mom who lives in Lee’s Summit, Missouri raising five of her six kids. (The oldest has gone off to live on his own.) She loves to embarrass her children whether it be spontaneous dance parties in the kitchen or making her teens’ friends think she’s funny/cool. *gasp* (Even if its in her own mind.) On rare occasions, she is known to post stories about her crazy life on her family blog There’s Always Room for One More.She keeps her sanity by creating worlds to escape to and characters to hang out with.


View all my reviews

A Season for Tending by Cindy Woodsmall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"A Season for Tending" is the first book in the Amish Vines and Orchards series by Cindy Woodsmall. So far I have enjoyed every single book I've ever read by the author and this book was no exception to that. There's a certain standard I have come to expect from Cindy and that is:
1. Characters you can fall in love with.
2. Wisdom interwoven into the very fabric of her stories.
3. Edgy and unique storyline.

In this book we meet a young lady named Rhoda Byler. As an Old Order Amish, you would expect Rhoda to be a fairly typical girl looking for love. However, Rhoda has an unusual gift -- at times she has seen into the future, certainly not an attribute you would think of a typical Amish girl! Her "intuition" has helped many people but she failed to help the person that mattered the most to her in the world, her sister. In the attempts to save her sister from being in a terrible accident, Rhoda exposed her secret and now many of her community fear her. They fear that she practices witchcraft and tend to ridicule and harass her. For that she has isolated herself in her garden, tending to beloved plants that offer no condemnation.

Through a strange course of events, Rhoda meets the King family. The Kings own an orchard that is struggling and Samuel, the oldest of the King boys, is confident that Rhoda can save their orchard and thus save their family from financial ruin. Though she declines at first, a personal setback causes her to reconsider and in doing so she finds herself developing a strange connection with the entire family.

"Sometimes what keeps a relationship from shattering is minding your own business and enjoying what does exist between the two of you"

I don't want to spill too much about this story because it really is a fantastic story and I'd rather you discover it yourself. But let me say that the characters are wonderfully written. I love characters that evoke emotion in a reader. I found myself being frustrated with Samuel when Rhoda would express irritation with him. I felt sympathy for Jacob and I might would admit to a book-crush on his character if you pressed the issue enough. I didn't really get to know Eli that much but I'm sure I will get to know him more in later installments. As for Leah, I adored this girl! Her character is struggling to find herself and gets into a bit of trouble at first but towards the end I kept secretly hoping she would get with Rhoda's friend, Landon. I'll be excited to see if my prediction of those two as a couple happens in the future. Too bad Rhoda isn't here to feel things out for me, right?

This story is truly unique. I wasn't really expecting a simplistic ghost story in an Amish book. It was so well written and it was a pleasant surprise. It wasn't written as a paranormal/typical ghost story and I'll be excited to see how the entire plot is wrapped up. Although, I have a feeling I will be sad to say goodbye to these characters when the time comes! So there you have it...my stamp of approval and a recommendation for anyone that loves Amish fiction!

Read an Excerpt
To watch the Trailer for this book click here
A fact about the Amish and how it relates to the story of A Season for Tending: http://youtu.be/Y3SSeNlBUe4


Places to buy A Season for Tending
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
CBD

About the Author

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times best-selling author who has written six novels, three novellas, and Plain Wisdom, a work of nonfiction coauthored with her dearest Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud. She’s been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and has worked with National Geographic on a documentary concerning Amish life.


Coming April 2013--Book Two! The Winnowing Season


View all my reviews

I received A Season for Tending as a complimentary gift in exchange for an honest review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. My comments and opinions are my own.